


Hot Cocoa and Lullabies

by SideshowStarlet



Series: Arrested Development [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Arguing, Azkaban, Barty Crouch Jr Appreciation 2k19, But lyrics altered to match the fic's world, Coparenting, Dementors, Fluff and Crack, Gen, Hamilton References, Harry Potter in Azkaban, Harry is Barty Jr's little prince, Harry raised by Barty Jr, Harry raised by Sirius Black, Harry raised in Azkaban, Ho yay but no slash, Hot Chocolate, Humor, Insecurity, Lullabies, Past Child Abuse, Possible Barty Jr/Sirius Black, Song: Dear Theodosia, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 11:36:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18603730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SideshowStarlet/pseuds/SideshowStarlet
Summary: Three year-old Harry feels insecure. Barty makes him hot cocoa. He and Sirius sing him a lullaby (in their own special way). Arguing, drama-loving Dementors, and ho-yay ensue.Part 4 of my Arrested Development series, in which three-year-old Harry, abused by the Dursleys, is magically transported to Azkaban.





	Hot Cocoa and Lullabies

**Author's Note:**

> After much thought, I made Barty's New Master (the smut fic) a separate series, rather than a part of this one. Therefore, this story will be part 4 of Arrested Development. 
> 
> I feel like I'm starting to nail down Barty Jr's character.

Harry refused to sleep anywhere besides Barty's arms. Whether this was due to the Dementors' presence or the fact that a moth-eaten futon covered with ragged blankets wasn't exactly a comfortable place to sleep, his precious prince screamed whenever Barty put him down for bedtime or a nap. If Barty waited until Harry fell asleep and then set him down, Harry inevitably woke up a few seconds later, scared and crying, until Barty scooped him up again.  
  
A few months after the Dark Lord's spirit gifted Barty with his blessed boy, Barty had bathed Harry and told him a story from Beedle the Bard that he remembered Winky the House Elf reading him in his youth.  
  
How he wished his lamby could have brightly-illustrated children's books! And better food! And a real bed! And... everything a little prince could want.  
  
He will soon, Barty promised himself. While not yet fully mastering his Animagus transformation, he was far enough along that he and Sirius were able to ascertain that Barty's form would be an owl of some sort. Once Barty fully mastered his transformation and could hold it for long periods of time, he would be flying out into the outside world and bringing back everything his lamby could want.  
  
Barty's heart felt a pang at the thought of leaving Harry for hours, even days, at a time. Still, he would be able to shower Harry with gifts whenever he returned. He hoped Sirius was up to the task of caring for Harry. Without the enforced responsibility of childcare, Sirius slept for half the day and stayed a dog for the other half. The only time he was awake and human was when he was teaching Barty to become an Animagus and the few minutes a day that he played with Harry. Perhaps leaving Harry with him longer would force the man out of his slump. It had for Barty. Or the added stress of childcare (not that His Prince was to blame for this- Azkaban simply wasn't a good place to raise a child) would send Sirius further into his own world.  
  
Even after the story finished, Harry showed no signs of going beddy-bye, despite the routine the two of them had carved out together. _"... bathtime, storytime, beddy-bye... What was missing?"_ Barty thought, while gazing into the wide-awake emerald eyes.  
  
"Barty, owl!" Harry cried out. Barty transformed as much as he could. His right arm was replaced by a white wing, and his head and chest sported patches of feathers. This was enough for Harry, who laughed and clapped. Then, his face turned serious. His lips were pursed, and his eyes were squeezed shut, as if he were concentrating on something.  
  
"What's the matter, lamby? Do you need the potty?" Barty asked, while turning back into a human.  
  
Harry shook his head, now biting his lip. Barty bounced the distressed child up and down on his hip, making him laugh. Barty's voice took on a growling quality, adopting what he and Harry referred to as his "Monster voice."  
  
"RAAAAARRR!" Barty roared, while covering Harry with kisses. "I'm gonna eat my lamby all up! I'll eat his handsome face!" he said, while kissing Harry's forehead, cheeks, and lips. "I'll eat his neck, his chest, and his little belly, too!" Harry's laughter grew louder as Barty kissed each of the named body parts. Barty glanced warily over his shoulder at the Dementors. They stood, on guard as usual, but they showed no signs of swooping down upon them. They should be safe continue the game, then.  
  
Barty kissed each of Harry's hands, while declaring his intention to eat Harry's "pretty little hands."  
  
Harry let out a peal of loud, manic laughter, sounding like Barty in a good mood. Unfortunately, Barty knew that when he was in a good mood, Dementors multiplied their presence. Sure enough, Barty could see a group of them gliding towards him and Harry. Harry was giggling too hard for Barty's attempts at shushing him to have any effect. So, he did the first thing he could think of and nipped at Harry's hand, hoping the pain would stop Harry's laughter before the Dementors got too interested.  
  
Harry, expecting more kisses, did indeed stop laughing. He let out a pained scream that had the Dementors nodding in satisfaction before gliding off to torment the other prisoners. Barty looked stricken. He hastily examined Harry's hand, worried he may have bitten too hard. No, only a small mark. Harry was more scared than anything.  
  
Still, Barty felt like crying himself when Harry squirmed out of his arms and flung himself to the floor, sobbing loudly. Barty knelt down next to Harry, only for the boy to crawl away from him, a terrified look in his tear-filled green eyes. Harry was frightened... of him. He was Harry's future minion, his caregiver, the man determined to protect Harry and fulfill his every desire, and Harry was looking up at him like he was one of those brutish Muggles.  
  
On the other side of the bars, Sirius stirred momentarily, then went back to sleep, mistaking Harry's cries for the terrified screams of one of their neighbors.  
  
"I'm sorry, lamby," Barty said. "Please stop crying."  
  
This had no effect.  
  
"Want me to eat you?" Barty growled, switching back to the monster voice in hopes of making Harry laugh again. Harry only cried louder.  
  
"Do you want some chocolate?" Barty asked.  
  
Like magic, Harry's cries stopped. He looked up, giving Barty a small, watery smile, and nodded. Barty had discovered this trick a few days ago. Now that he was getting his magic back (though no wand. Oh, how he missed holding a wand!), he could make limited transfigurations to the gruel provided by the guards.  
  
He took a half-cup of leftover gruel and focused. He'd always been good at Transfiguration, but it was difficult without a wand. With one wave of his hand, the liquid was sucked away, turning the watery meal into wheat-colored powder. With a quick wave of his fingers and a perfectly-measured flick of his wrist, half of the powder turned to sugar, and the other half transmuted into cocoa. Barty grabbed an empty mug he had saved from the Dementor clean-up crew. He cast a wandless, nonverbal Aguamenti charm, running the water until the cup was filled. Then, with another swift wave of his hand, the water was transformed into milk. He placed his hand underneath the mug and heated the contents until it burned his hand. Then, Barty gradually added milk to the sugar and cocoa, stirring as he went. With another wave of his hand, the mixture cooled, going from boiling hot to lukewarm.  
  
He brought the cup of hot cocoa to Harry's lips, helping him take a small sip. "Thank you, Barty," Harry murmured sleepily, climbing into the ex-Death Eater's lap, earlier fright completely forgotten. Harry grabbed the cup with both hands, while Barty kept a hand at the bottom of the mug to steady it.  
  
"No! Mine!" Harry protested, yanking the cup from Barty's hand. Barty's own father would have taken away the treat, swatted his bottom, and sent him to bed in disgust if Barty had done that at Harry's age. But then, Barty Senior wasn't the type of person to make his son hot cocoa in the first place.  
  
Barty cast a wandless steadying charm, preventing the chocolate from spilling. "All yours, lamby," he cooed.  
  
"Barty?" Harry asked, in between sips of cocoa. The serious, pursed-lips, eyes-closed look from earlier was back. Something was definitely bothering him.  
  
"Yes, My Prince?" said Barty softly.  
  
"I can't turn into a lamb," Harry said quietly, with the air of a man confessing a shameful secret that had been weighing on his conscience.  
  
"You don't need to do that!" said Barty. "Changing into animals is for grown-ups."  
  
"But I'm your lamby!" Harry protested. "Aren't I supposed to turn into a lamb?"  
  
"Not yet," Barty reassured him. "You're my lamby because you're so soft and cuddly." As if to prove his point, he hugged Harry and kissed the boy's forehead. "You'll learn to turn into an animal when you're older. Maybe it will be a lamb; maybe it will be something else. I'm bigger than you, and I'm still learning. By the time you're as big as me, you'll know loads more magic than I do."  
  
"The Muggles always said I was too stupid to learn anything," Harry sniffled.  
  
"They lied," said Barty. "They're filthy Muggles. Every word out of their mouth is a lie. They can't be trusted with any child, muchless my Little Prince. My Lord grew up with a lot of filthy Muggles. He knows what they're like. That's why he took you away from them and gifted you to me. So you can be safe from the Muggles and the Blood Traitors who would send you back there. So I can raise you into the powerful Wizard you were meant to be."  
  
"How did the Dark Lord get me here?" Harry asked curiously.  
  
"We may never know for sure," Barty admitted. "The Dark Lord has power beyond all our understanding."  
  
Harry allowed Barty to lapse into reverent silence and finished his cocoa. A few more minutes went by. Barty seemed lost in his own world. Harry, used to these flights of fancy, squirmed on Barty's lap. Barty blinked down at Harry, as if he had forgotten the boy was there. Despite his dreary surroundings, he smiled as he came back into the present. His present included his Little Prince, and that was enough.  
  
"I can teach you how to fly like the Dark Lord used to," Barty offered. It was truly a magnificent sight.  
  
"Yes! Yes!" Harry squealed enthusiastically. He liked the idea of flying, and he loved the idea of becoming more like this powerful Dark Lord that Barty always talked about.  
  
"Get some sleep first," said Barty. "You need lots of energy for this. We'll start tomorrow morning," Barty promised.  
  
Harry squeezed his eyes shut, as if hoping to fall asleep quickly and reach the desired moment as soon as possible. A few minutes later, he opened his eyes. "Morning now?" he asked hopefully.  
  
"No, lamby," said Barty.  
  
Harry shifted restlessly in Barty's arms. A memory of Barty's mother singing him to sleep entered his mind. Normally, the Dementors caused such a memory to make Barty lose himself in despair, bringing up more memories of his mother becoming sicker and sicker, too weak to do more than lie in bed and take medicines that barely kept her alive.  
  
Tonight, Barty's need to prioritize his Prince prevented him from drowning in emotion. Instead, he used the melancholy memory of his mother to benefit Harry. A lullaby popped into his head. Barty cradled Harry to his chest and began to sing.  
  
(AN: Song is to the tune of Dear Theodosia from the musical Hamilton).  
  
_"Dear little lamby,_  
_What to say to you?_  
_You have my heart,_  
_You have the Dark Lord's might._  
_When your light_  
_Scared off the guards,_  
_I knew you would be My Prince._  
_I'm dedicating every day to you,_  
_Though parenting_  
_Was never quite my thing._  
_When you smile,_  
_You knock me out,_  
_I fall apart._  
_And I thought I was so smart._  
_You were the greatest of all surprises._  
_I'll bleed and fight for you,_  
_I'll do anything for you._  
_I will raise you as the Dark Lord rises._  
_I'll give the world to you,_  
_And you'll blow us all away._  
_Someday, someday._  
_Yeah, you'll blow us all away._  
_Someday, someday."_  
  
The unusual sound of a prisoner singing in Azkaban called to Sirius like a nightingale singing in Berkely Square. The man who managed to sleep through the other prisoners' tortured screams for at least twelve hours a day stirred at the sound of Barty's lullaby. He felt moved to join in.  
  
_"Oh, Prongslet, when you smile, I am undone_ ," Sirius sang.  
_"Godson._  
_My godson!_  
_Pride is not the word I'm looking for._  
_There is so much more inside me now._  
_Brighter than a hundred Patroni._  
_Li'l guy._  
_When you smile,_  
_You knock me out, I fall apart._  
_And I thought I was so smart._  
_My father wasn't around."_  
  
" _My father wasn't around,"_ Barty agreed. Daddy issues were one of the few things he and Sirius agreed on.  
  
_"I swear that_ ," Sirius began.  
  
_"I'll be around for you_ ," Sirius and Barty finished together.  
  
" _I'll do whatever it takes_ ," Sirius sang.  
  
_"I'll make a million mistakes_ ," Barty crooned.  
  
Sirius and Barty sang the last two verses together as Harry's eyes drooped closed. _"I'll make prison safe and sound for you_  
_...Were the greatest of all surprises._  
_I'll bleed and fight for you._  
_I'll do anything for you._  
_And you'll blow us all away._  
_Someday, someday."_  
  
_"The greatest of all surprises,"_ they continued.  
_"I'll raise you as..."_  
  
_"The Dark Lord-"_ Barty sang.  
  
" _A new light_ -" Sirius sang at the same time, while glaring at Barty.  
  
" _Rises_ ," they finished with the same word at the same time.  
  
_"I'll give the world to you,"_ Barty and Sirius harmonized.  
  
_"I'll do anything for you._  
_And you'll blow us all away._  
_Someday, someday._  
_Yeah, you'll blow us all away._  
_Someday, someday."_  


Harry fell asleep at last.  
  
"As the Dark Lord rises?" Sirius whispered. He may hate everything the Dark Lord stood for, and Barty may be an unrepentant Death Eater, but he wasn't about to wake Harry up when they finally got him to sleep. "When are you gonna give up on that?"  
  
"Never!" Barty vowed fiercely (and quietly). "And if you really think a new light is rising, why did they chuck you into Azkaban with us?"  
  
"That was your dear daddy's doing," Sirius reminded him.  
  
Barty went silent for a moment. Then he said, "I'm glad you found something wrong with your life without blaming it on the Dark Lord."  
  
"Well, Voldemort's at the root of-" Sirius began.  
  
"Don't say his name," Barty choked fearully, holding the sleeping Harry tightly against his chest.  
  
_"Voldemort! Voldemort! Voldemort_!" Sirius hissed.  
  
_"Shut up!"_ Barty whispered loudly.  
  
" _Voldy-shorts! Moldy-Warts_!"  
  
_"Bumble-Bore! Fumble-More! Rumble-Roar!"_ Barty hissed mockingly.  
  
The Dementors, alerted to yet another bout of drama, circled the two cells. Both Barty and Sirius could feel the aura of despair sinking in and reluctantly cut their arguement short. As predicted, the Dementors got bored and wandered off.  
  
"Well, we're both awake," said Sirius after a few minutes of silence. "Want to work on your Animagus form? We can practice your face and head without waking your limpet," he said, nodding towards the sleeping bundle in Barty's arms.  
  
Barty agreed, and the two worked Barty's owl animagus until late in the night. They finally fell asleep on opposite sides of the bars, each sitting on the stone floor, their heads drooped forward. Barty had made great progress, but he turned completely human after fifteen minutes of sleep. Only the iron bars prevented their foreheads from touching. Occasionally, one or both of them would shift or stretch, causing their noses or lips to touch through the gaps in the bars, much to the Dementors' excitement.  
  
  
  



End file.
